Sandcastles Early Childhood Centre

06/02/2022

🥰

14/10/2021

06/09/2021

Be kind to yourselves this lockdown. We're all doing the best we can.🥰

19/08/2021

12/07/2021

The photos we could share of the children digging in the sandpit are endless, they dig the deepest holes, the biggest volcano's, tunnels from one end of the sandpit to the other, all while working those core muscles in preparation for writing.

04/07/2021

Play is often seen as the opposite of learning. The fun after the work is done.

But play actually lights up the brain in many more places than rote learning does.

And it’s way more fun. Fertilize those brains and let them play!!

28/11/2018

❤️

LOVE grows brains! Last week I had the pleasure of listening to Nathan Wallis for the first time and as well as having a good laugh I gained new knowledge, developed a better understanding of human development and felt affirmed as research backs the importance of love, partnerships, interaction and creating the “right conditions” for the brain to develop.

He gave an easy to understand explanation of how the brain develops showing a graphic of Bruce Perry’s Neurosequential Model. Here’s some of what I took away with me.

THE BRAIN:
The majority of brain development takes place in early childhood. This means that out of all the experiences throughout life, the experiences of early childhood have the most profound effects on the brain.

The first 1000 days can either cause a lifetime of dysfunction or allow us to develop into the best versions of ourselves.

THE BRAIN IS A HOUSE:
The brain is similar to a house with four floors and is organised from the most simple (1st floor), to the most complex (4th floor) and can change depending on what is used.

The brain develops from bottom to top. Just as we can’t skip floors and go straight from the ground to the roof, we can’t skip the stages of brain development and go from birth to reading. We need to ascend one floor at a time in a sequential order.

The lower parts of the brain directly affect the higher parts of the brain and either support or disrupt higher functioning, which has a powerful impact on how individuals think and act.

Our stress responses that originate in the lower parts of the brain help regulate and organise the higher parts of the brain so for healthy growth and development we need to ensure that children experience LOVE rather than fear in their early years.

THE FOUR FLOORS:

1st- Reptile Brain - The first to develop is our survival brain which is responsible for keeping us safe eg. heart rate, breathing, reflexes, eating and stress responses; fight, flight, freeze. (Brainstem; before birth-infancy)

Children learn and develop best when they are raised by the most responsive and attuned person available to them, known as the ‘dyad’. When we eliminate stressors and support and encourage secure attachment, our children develop a sense of trust and safety.

2nd- Mammal Brain - Our movement brain which is responsible for important functions such as motor control and sensory processing. (Midbrain; infancy-childhood)

We can support children by providing free, unrestricted, unstructured, uninterrupted play. Time and space to move, explore and learn about their bodies and opportunities to use and practice acquired skills.

3rd- Feeling Brain - Our emotional brain is responsible for how we feel and is involved in the regulation of emotion, memory and processing complex socio-emotional communication. (Limbic; early childhood-puberty)

We can support this development by providing opportunities for children to interact with others. Supporting children socially, with emotional intelligence and providing multiple outlets for creative expression.

4th- Thinking Brain - Our intellectual brain which is responsible for higher functioning such as abstract thought, rational thinking, reasoning and problem-solving abilities. (Cortical; childhood-adulthood)

Children are able to participate in more complex thinking and mental processes related to thinking. It’s important to note that part of the ‘thinking brain’ does not come online until around 7 years of age (depending on the child).

Before this time it is vital that each child has the freedom to explore and discover, develop dispositions and create a love for learning in a play-based environment. If we wish for children to be able to participate in complex learning and teaching environments we must first allow time and opportunity for them to develop stress, motor, social and emotional functioning and regulation. Children must first learn to control and regulate their internal world before they can learn about their external world.

The development of skills needed to ‘prepare’ a child for school and to ‘prepare’ them for a healthy life have their roots in infancy, in a child feeling safe, loved, and in partnership within those first 1000 days. A child exposed to consistent, predictable, nurturing and enriched experiences within the first 1000 days of life will develop neurobiological capabilities that will increase the child’s chance for health, happiness, productivity and creativity in later life.

Below you will find a link to a video that goes over more of what was covered.

“Love Grows Brains”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UWbCnv1vno

08/09/2018

Something to think about 🤔